Estonia has, in fact, been a part of kingdoms: the Danish realm from the 13th to the 14th centuries, the Swedish from the 16th to the 18th centuries and the Russian from 18th to the early 20th. Although Estonians have never actually had their own king, the Estonian state coat of arms is of royal origin. The motif of the three lions dates back to the 13th century, when the Danish King Waldemar II presented the arms to the city of Tallinn as a gift; it became the Republic of Estonia's coat of arms in 1925. Estonia's blue, black and white national flag descends from the 19th century. These colours, which the Estonian students of Tartu University chose for their association's flag, developed into a national symbol at the beginning of this century. In 1922, blue, black and white were confirmed as the colours of the national flag.

Some of Estonian's kings:

Valdemar II

Sigismund II

Gustav II Adolf

Peter I

Nicholas II

Period of their rule:

1219-1241

1561-1572

1611-1632

1710-1725

1894-1919

With the proclamation of Estonia's national independence in 1918, a parliamentary republic was formed. The constitution of 1920 was clearly one of the most democratic for that time. The Parliament elected a Riigivanem (president) who acted as the leader of the government and head of state. In 1991 the Republic of Estonia was restored on the basis of continuity with the constitution prior to 1938.

Estonian national flag and coat of arms on the Parliament building.

Estonia does not have a state church. The contemporary Estonian government follows the principles of separation of power and its people elect a 101-member parliament every four years. Only Estonian citizens may participate in parliamentary elections. The Parliament chooses a president, who can be in office for a five year period for a maximum of two terms. The President is the Supreme Commander of the National Defence of Estonia.

The assembly hall of the Estonian Parliament - Riigikogu.

A party must gather 5% of the votes in order to become part of the Parliament. As a rule, the President asks the party leader who has collected the most votes to form the new government. The representational model based on party politics has strengthened over the last decade. In the years shortly following the restoration of independence, there were dozens of parties to represent a population of only 1.4 million; at present 6-7 parties have remained. The local authorities have developed in the same direction. All permanent residents of voting age (18) may participate in local government elections.